Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Technology: Equality

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in conjunction with employers, to increase diversity within the UK technology sector.

Viscount Camrose: The Government is committed to increasing diversity within the technology sector. We do this by working with external organisations and employers, and highly value this collaboration to overcome current barriers. We are also improving diversity in the cyber security sector through the National Cyber Strategy. This focuses particularly on attracting more woman and girls to the cyber profession, and includes the CyberFirst Girls Competition which saw over 12,500 girls (aged 12-13) take part this year alone. We have supported the Tech Talent Charter (TTC) since 2017, a not-for-profit organisation that provides measurement and insights into diversity through its work with over 700 organisations and across 42 industry sectors, representing 160,000 people in UK technology roles. This year, we also commissioned Color in Tech to deliver research exploring what works for attracting and retaining ethnically diverse talent within the technology sector. The data was used to create a best practice toolkit for employers to build an inclusive workplace environment. HMG supports diverse entrepreneurs through the £12m Digital Growth Grant, delivered by Barclays Eagle Labs to support startups across the UK. In addition to a range of accelerator programmes, mentorship and educational materials funded by the grant, Barclays Eagle Labs and specialist partners are running growth programmes targeted specifically at female founders and black founders. Among the grant’s primary objectives is that at least 35% of all entrepreneurs supported by the programme will come from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, the £30 million AI and Data Science Conversion Course programme was established to address the lack of diversity and supply of talent in the UK AI labour market. It is funding up to 3000 scholarships for students from backgrounds underrepresented in the tech industry. We are working with industry to co-fund these scholarships - for every one scholarship that industry funds, the government will fund an additional three across the programme. The Digital Skills Council is also harnessing industry efforts to support further action on digital upskilling and improve the diversity of the digital workforce.

Voice over Internet Protocol: Power Failures

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byViscount Camrose on 3 April (HL6992) and 25 April (HL7109), what assessment they have made of whether having a battery powered handset provided by BT in case of power cuts with a mobile sim card insidewill be sufficientifthere is nomobile signal.

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byViscount Camrose on 3 April (HL6992) and 25 April (HL7109), what assessment they have made of whether there will be universal access to emergency services following deinstallation of copper wire connection.

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byViscount Camrose on 3 April (HL6992) and 25 April (HL7108), what assessment they have made of whether the battery powered handsets which only last for a short time will be adequate for all but the briefest power cutand for those off the electricity grid.

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Camrose on 5 April (HL6988), whether residents without broadband will have to have a router installed and pay to be supplied with a broadband service.

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Camrose on 5 April (HL6988), whether all makes of wrist-worn personal alarms will operate over WiFi.

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Camrose on 3 April (HL6992), what assessment they have made of whether BT has adequately consultedthe residents affected, particularly the vulnerable such as those who are (1) over 70, (2) disabled, (3) in remote rural areas, and (4) digitally excluded.

Viscount Camrose: BT has a range of resilient solutions, including a battery back-up unit and hybrid phone. These solutions are compliant with, and in some cases exceed, Ofcom’s requirement to provide a back-up facility for emergency calls for a minimum of 1 hour during a power outage. It is worth noting that other providers may offer different solutions.The BT hybrid phone with a mobile SIM card inside is not a solution that will be offered to customers that have no mobile signal where they live. Instead, they will be offered a battery back-up unit which will enable them to make a phone call in the event of a power cut. These solutions are available free-of-charge to vulnerable customers - those who use a telecare device, only use landlines and or are over the age of 75, without mobile signal or broadband or have disclosed other additional needs. These will be available for all to purchase if they wish. Many Communication Providers, including BT, engage regularly with other broadband providers, Ofcom and power companies about the resilience of their networks and have robust contingency plans in place to protect their customers in the event of planned power outages. Landline only customers will not be required to take a paid broadband service from providers if they do not wish to. Instead, they will be provided with a dedicated internet connection and router specifically for their landline service at no extra cost. With regard to telecare systems, lifeline alarm systems or remote ringers, I cannot state definitively which products would function over Digital Voice or which would need modification or replacement, given the range of devices and providers across these sectors. However, Digital Voice telecare devices do exist for all use cases. Furthermore, the switch to Digital Voice has already taken place in other countries; in these cases, all telecare users have been provided Digital Voice compatible devices. DSIT has been working with the Department for Health and Social Care and the telecare industry to raise awareness of the migration and to help identify alternatives, while BT and other providers have set up test labs for manufacturers to test their equipment. BT has engaged with a broad range of external stakeholders as part of its Digital Voice migration programme. The Digital Voice Advisory Group (DVAG) has advised BT on how best to support and engage with customers who will require additional support to migrate to Digital Voice. Members of the DVAG include representative groups and charities such as Age UK, the Department of Health and Social Care, Independent Age, Rural Services Network, and Which?. BT has also invited other organisations to attend meetings on an ad hoc basis. Other Communication Providers operate similar programmes to raise awareness.BT has engaged with local authorities in a number of areas related to Digital Voice, although no local authorities are formal members of DVAG. BT is working with local authorities via industry working groups to discuss issues such as telecare and frequently engages with the Local Government Association about Digital Voice.

Universities: China

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Civitasreport,Strategic Dependence of UK Universities on China – and where should they turn next?, which suggests that up to one-third of Chinese funding to UK universities comes from sources linked to the Chinese military or banned by the United States; and what plans they have to investigate those links and to address the situation.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what support, guidance or advice they provide to universities to ensure that universities are not reliant on funding from hostile regimes.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe finding in the Civitas report,The Strategic Dependence of UK Universities on China – and where should they turn next?, that Huawei Technologies and its subsidiaries are the single largest source of Chinese funding to British universities since 2017.

Viscount Camrose: The UK government’s approach to China is rooted in the UK national interest. We will not accept collaborations which compromise our national security. We have taken steps to significantly strengthen the UK’s protections from overseas interference in our higher education and research sector, including through our Trusted Research Campaign and the direct support offered by the Research Collaboration Advice Team. The updated International Education Strategy also advises Universities to ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding. As part of the Integrated Review Refresh, we are conducting a detailed review of the measures designed to support our academic sector to keep their research secure.

Department of Health and Social Care

Nutrition and Poverty: Children

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government, following a survey by the School and Public Health Nurses Association and the British Dental Association in June which showed that 65 per cent of health practitioners reported that children’s health had got worse over the last year as a result of hunger, what plans they have to address hunger and poor nutrition in children.

Lord Markham: The Government understands concerns regarding food inflation and its impact on the current cost of living, and as such is providing support of over £94 billion over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals.Data from the Office for National Statistics shows prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 13.6% in the year to August 2023. This was down from 14.9% in July and a recent high of 19.2% in March 2023, which was the highest rate seen for over 45 years. This means that food prices are still increasing but at a slower rate than before.Through the Healthy Food Schemes, the Government provides a nutritional safety net to those who need it the most. The three Healthy Food Schemes, namely Healthy Start, Nursery Milk and the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, together help more than three million children. They support wider Government priorities on obesity and levelling up. The schemes help to support children and babies when they are at home, in childcare and in early years at school, and pregnant women. From April 2021, the value of the Healthy Start increased from £3.10 to £4.25, providing additional support to pregnant women and families on lower incomes to make healthy food choices.The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme provides approximately 2.2 million children in Key Stage 1 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables each day at school. Around 419 million pieces of fruit and vegetables were distributed to children in 2022/2023. In addition, the Nursery Milk Scheme provides a reimbursement to childcare providers for a daily 1/3 pint portion of milk to children and babies.Free school meals are provided to over one third of school children. This includes two million pupils who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals, making up 23.8% of all pupils, which is an increase from January 2021 when 1.7 million or 20.8% pupils were eligible. In addition, almost 1.3 million more infants enjoy a free and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of universal infant free school meals in 2014. A further 90,000 disadvantaged pupils in further education also receive a free meal at lunch time. Overall, we spend over £1 billion per annum delivering free lunches to a large proportion of school children.The Government’s wider programme of work to create a healthier environment to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight includes:- regulations which restrict the placement of products high in saturated fat, salt or sugar in store and online;- efforts to reformulate products high in calories, sugar and salt;- the Soft Drinks Industry Levy; and- calorie labelling regulations for food sold in large out of home businesses.

NHS England: Databases

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government why the answer to the "Frequently Asked Question" on the NHS England website about NHS England’s Federated Data Platform "Can patients opt out of sharing their data with the Federated Data Platform?" was changed at some point after 20 November, from starting with "No" to saying that the national data opt-out "will always be respected".

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government for what reason the accessible version of the easy read PDF about NHS England’s Federated Data Platform says "No" in answer to the question "Can patients opt out of their data being shared in the FDP?", after the main "Frequently Asked Questions" page was changed to say that opt-outs will be respected.

Lord Markham: The Frequently Asked Questions have been developed and refined based on feedback from stakeholders and the public. The National Data Opt-Out applies when confidential patient information is used for planning and research, not when it is used for direct care. Although the Federated Data Platform (FDP) will not use such information for planning or research, the answer was revised to make clear that, as with any system handling patient data, the National Data Opt-Out would be respected for any relevant uses of data.We are committed to providing public information that is meaningful and accessible for a range of audiences. The easy read accessible version has been co-produced with representatives of the audience for whom it is designed. We will continue to keep this under review to make sure it is aligned with the other information available on the FDP.

Babylon Health

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will commissionan independent review into their (1) relationship with, and (2) outcomes, from their work with Babylon Health.

Lord Markham: The Department of Health and Social Care does not have any current plans to commission an independent review of Babylon Health.In 2018, NHS Hammersmith and Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England commissioned Ipsos Mori to undertake an independent evaluation of the Babylon GP at Hand practice. The final report was published in May 2019 and is publicly available.

Babylon Health

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of money that (1) they, and (2) the NHS, spent on Babylon Health.

Lord Markham: The 2022/23 payments made by the National Health Service to general practice is published by NHS Digital. Over £11 million was paid to Babylon GP Practice, including Primary Care Network and COVID-19 payments (minus deductions) in 2022/23.

Cystic Fibrosis: Medical Treatments

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government whatlevel of funding will be provided in the next financial year for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis through the NHS.

Lord Markham: The information requested is subject to commercial agreements which are commercial in confidence. I am therefore unable to provide a figure.

Cystic Fibrosis: Drugs

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding was provided through the NHS for modular drugs to treat Cystic Fibrosis in each of the past three years.

Lord Markham: The information requested is subject to commercial agreements which are commercial in confidence. I am therefore unable to provide a figure.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Dame Kate Bingham's experience, as set out in The Long Shot, of leading the Vaccine Task Force during the COVID-19 pandemic; and whether they intend to review the processes and systems of supervision and governance in respect of projects commissioned by His Majesty's Government.

Lord Markham: No assessment has been made of The Long Shot. The Government has published a review of the Vaccine Task Force’s performance. The review draws out learning that can be applied to future government programmes, both in emergency circumstances, and to business-as-usual activity.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether a senior official in NHS England has been asked to take responsibility for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Lord Markham: NHS England is currently scoping a national programme of work on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a senior official will be asked to lead the work on NHS England’s behalf.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Levelling Up Fund: Northern Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government why is the absence of a working executive a reason for not including Northern Irelandin the third round of the Levelling Up Fund when in previous years the absence did not stop funding.

Baroness Penn: In Northern Ireland, the Government is not proceeding with this round of the Levelling Up Fund at this time. In the context of the growing pressure on Northern Ireland budgets it is right that UKG should consider its approach to funding available for Northern Ireland in the round. £30 million has been reserved for Northern Ireland from LUF 3. As part of our commitment to levelling up, we want to work with a restored Executive to find the best approach to supporting people in Northern Ireland, taking account of current budget pressures.We will continue to work closely with projects and places in Northern Ireland that were awarded a total of £120 million in the first two rounds of the Fund and work with stakeholders on how best to level up communities in Northern Ireland.

Regional Planning and Development: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the third tranche of Levelling Up funding for Northern Ireland; and when that funding will be provided.

Baroness Penn: In Northern Ireland, the Government is not proceeding with this round of the Levelling Up Fund at this time. We will continue to work closely with projects and places in Northern Ireland that were awarded a total of £120 million in the first two rounds of the Fund and work with stakeholders on how best to level up communities in Northern Ireland.Our priority remains seeing the restoration and return of a locally elected and accountable Executive, because that is what the people of Northern Ireland need and deserve.

Housing: Gardens

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government how many new homes have been created each year since 2005 for which figures are available; and what percentage of those had private gardens.

Baroness Penn: The department publishes an annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply, with estimates of new homes delivered, in each financial year shown in Table 1 below. This information is also readily available on gov.uk. Table 1. Housing Supply Net Additional Dwellings, England, 2004-05 to 2021-221. 2004-051855532005-062026532006-072149362007-082235342008-091827672009-101448702010-111373942011-121348962012-131247222013-141366052014-151706932015-161896452016-172173452017-182222812018-192418772019-202427022020-212118652021-22232816  Source: Live Table 122,123 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-net-supply-of-housing1 Net additional dwellings includes new builds but also dwellings supplied through conversions of existing buildings, change of existing buildings use, other gains/losses, offset by demolitions. The detail, with each component, is published in Live Table 123.The Department does not hold figures on what percentage of those had private gardens.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Religious Freedom

Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government what priorities they haveidentified in their work to promote freedom of religion or belief; and what is in outline the current plan of work for the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's foremost priority on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is defending FoRB for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities.We work through international bodies to strengthen coalitions of support and protect FoRB for all. We use our global diplomatic network to encourage States to uphold their human rights obligations, supporting this work with dedicated FoRB programme spend. And we continue to work to embed FoRB considerations across the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, is currently serving as Chair of the 42-country International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA), which she is working to grow and strengthen. Alongside her counterparts from other countries, the Special Envoy works through IRFBA to champion FoRB, highlighting international best practice and raising awareness of, and challenging, FoRB violations and abuses across the world.The Special Envoy works closely with civil society to highlight FoRB issues, and is leading a series of roundtables in the FCDO to strengthen collaboration on FoRB between FCDO officials and civil society.

Bangladesh: Civil Society and Human Rights

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support (1) human rights, and (2) civil society in Bangladesh.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is concerned by the recent conviction of human rights activists and the shrinking of civil society space in Bangladesh. Bangladesh remains a UK Human Rights Priority Country. The UK regularly raises with the Government of Bangladesh, both in public and private, the importance of respect for human rights and the rule of law. In October, I met Prime Minister Hasina and raised the arrests of human rights defenders in Bangladesh. We press the Government of Bangladesh to end harassment and intimidation of civil society, the media and political opposition, including the Bangladesh National Party.

Bangladesh: Elections

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support free and fair elections in Bangladesh.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK wants to see free, fair, participatory and peaceful elections in Bangladesh. I made this clear to the Government of Bangladesh when I met Prime Minister Hasina in October. We are concerned at the violence that has taken place at recent demonstrations and have called on all stakeholders, privately and publicly, to exercise restraint. The UK continues to stress to the Government of Bangladesh that respect for human rights, rule of law and access to justice are essential elements of the democratic process.

Alaa Abdel Fattah

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to verify the physical well-being of theBritish pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, imprisoned in Egypt.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government remains committed to supporting Mr El-Fattah and his family. Since Mr El-Fattah's sentencing in December 2021, the UK Government has remained in contact with his family and have made numerous representations to the Egyptian authorities concerning his imprisonment and welfare, and continue to make regular requests for consular access. The Prime Minister most recently raised this case with President Sisi on 20 October. The Former Foreign Secretary, and Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, have also raised this case regularly with the Egyptian authorities and met family members several times.

Israel: Palestinians

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of Palestinian civilians who have been killed in the Israel-Palestine conflict since 7 October.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As of 1st December, more than 15,000 people have been killed in Gaza according to the Hamas controlled Gaza Media Office. We have been consistently clear that all sides must make all possible efforts to protect civilians and must abide by their international obligations and respect International Humanitarian Law. The UK is continuously assessing needs and advocating for access routes to be established into Gaza, sufficient levels of humanitarian assistance to flow into Gaza and calling for humanitarian pauses to allow aid to be safely distributed within Gaza.The UK Government has already announced £60 million in humanitarian funding since the crisis began and has sent more than 74 tonnes of emergency relief for civilians in Gaza. The UK Government is concerned about the shocking impact of the conflict on children in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and UK humanitarian aid will ensure the specific needs of children are met.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pesticides: Environment Protection

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the environmental impacts fromincluding saponins, phosphorous peroxide, and other substances which are irritants or otherwise harmful to worms and other soil organisms, in products labelled as "soil conditioners" or "anti-worm caster"; and what guidance they have issued about the legality of doing so.

Lord Benyon: No assessment has been made. The Environment Agency assesses the presence of many chemicals in the environment, but has very limited data for chemicals in soil and the potential impacts on individual species. Saponins are a very broad and diverse group of compounds with biosurfactant and biopesticide properties and with many applications including some personal care products. The Environment Agency has developed a Prioritisation and Early Warning System for chemicals of emerging concern to systematically consider this challenge and to integrate horizon scanning with environmental monitoring and international collaboration. Substances can be added for future assessment, depending on the availability of evidence. The Government recognises how vital healthy soil is for food production, water regulation, biodiversity, carbon storage and providing diverse habitats and agricultural opportunities. Earthworms are an excellent indicator of soil health, as they are impacted by pH, waterlogging, compaction, tillage, rotation and organic matter management. Pesticides are strictly regulated because of their potential impacts on human health and the environment (including impacts on earthworms and soil micro-organisms) and, if authorised, are subject to conditions to ensure safe use. For many products, professional use only by properly trained operatives is one of those conditions. There are no plant protection products that are currently authorised for the control of worm casts on turf. A consultation and call for evidence on a new fertiliser regulatory framework is planned for early 2024. The process of regulation development will be iterative as more research is needed into newer fertiliser types before requirements for these products can be drafted into law. Soil conditioners may be subject to regulation under the future revised framework for fertilisers.

Furs: Imports and Sales

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that 96 per cent of respondents to their 2021Call for Evidence on the fur trade strongly agreed that it is wrong for animals to be killed for fur, what plans they have to bring forward legislation to ban the (1) import, and (2) sale, of fur.

Lord Benyon: We are continuing to build our evidence base on the fur sector, which will be used to inform any future action on the fur trade. This includes commissioning the Animal Welfare Committee to explore current responsible sourcing practices in the fur industry. Any future measures would be subject to consultation.

Climate Change Convention: Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will include experts on migratory species from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee among the UK delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28 UAE).

Lord Benyon: We set out how we will deliver outcomes for food, farming and the environment through our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes in an update in January. This can be found at Environmental Land Management (ELM) update: how government will pay for land-based environment and climate goods and services. This includes our plans to expand and refine the schemes to contribute more to our environmental targets, including on nature recovery, and to target funding towards actions in places where they can have the biggest impacts, in ways that are joined up across larger areas, and that are designed to deliver the required results. Since then we have launched the 2023 Sustainable Farming Incentive and further rounds of Countryside Stewardship and Landscape Recovery. We will publish more details on the 2024 offer in due course.

Department for Transport

Transport: Poverty

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe conclusion of the reportGetting the measure of transport poverty, published by the Social Market Foundation on 15 November, that investment in public transport is more beneficial toalleviating transport povertythan lowering the cost of driving.

Lord Davies of Gower: The government has consistently invested in public transport, including through the most recent announcement of £150 million dedicated to levelling up bus services, with areas across the North and Midlands given extra support for services to become more frequent, more reliable, cheaper and easier to use.

Department for Education

Schools: Concrete

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what additional assistance they are providing to support students in exams who have been directly impacted by the problems of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in schools.

Baroness Barran: To support all students taking GCSE exams in 2024, the department has confirmed that students will not need to memorise the usual formulae and equations for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science, as they must in a normal year. Ofqual is holding a consultation on this proposal to provide formulae and revised equation sheets, which closes on 30 November.For schools that are directly affected by RAAC, the department has asked Awarding Organisations (AOs) to provide as much flexibility as possible within the confines of their processes and regulations, for example by granting extensions to deadlines for coursework or non-examined assessments and sensitively considering the timing of moderation visits. The department has asked AOs to agree such arrangements in advance so schools have as much certainty as possible and can plan their timetabling and teaching accordingly. The department encourages schools that are having specific difficulties in delivering coursework or assessments to contact the relevant AO as soon as possible, if they have not already done so.

Schools: Concrete

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they havefinalised their assessment of the number of schools impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; and if so, how many schools it has impacted.

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany additional mobile classrooms will be required to be provided to schools to cope with the problems caused by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what has beenthe total of additional resources allocated to deal with the problems created in schools by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Baroness Barran: An updated list of schools and colleges with confirmed cases of RAAC as at 16 October 2023 was published on 19 October 2023 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information. This link contains a summary of the number of schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC and the status of education in place at these schools and colleges at the specified date.Every school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from the department’s team of 80 caseworkers. Each school’s dedicated caseworker will support them to put in place a bespoke mitigation plan, and this will ensure that each school and college receives the support that suits their circumstances. The department has placed contracts with multiple suppliers of temporary accommodation to get to site quickly for emergency provision and is confident that it has sufficient supply of them to meet need. The department will support schools if there are any site-specific issues that need resolving in order to install temporary accommodation.The department supports schools and colleges in a number of ways. This includes significant capital funding and providing guidance and support to help schools and responsible bodies manage their buildings effectively. On RAAC, the department will spend whatever it takes to keep children safe.The government is funding the emergency work needed to mitigate the presence of RAAC, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. All reasonable requests for additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall, are being approved. The government is funding longer-term refurbishment or rebuilding projects to address the presence of RAAC in schools. Schools and colleges will either be offered capital grants to fund refurbishment work to permanently remove RAAC, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, including through the school rebuilding programme. The department is working closely with responsible bodies to assess what the right solution is for each case.

Social Services: Children

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Josh MacAlister The independent review of children’s social care, published on 23 May 2022; and what progress they have made in improving council-run homes in the children’s social care system given the findings of that report.

Baroness Barran: In February 2023 the department published its consultation and implementation strategy, ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’. This sets out the department’s plans for a system-wide transformation of children’s social care, and details how the department will help families overcome challenges, keep children safe, and make sure children in care have stable loving homes, long-term loving relationships, and opportunities for a good life.To support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to ensure there is sufficient provision for children in their care, the department has announced £259 million capital funding to maintain capacity and expand provision in both secure and open children’s homes that provide high-quality, safe homes for some of the most vulnerable children and young people across England. The department has allocated a portion of the £259 million capital funding to open children’s homes enabling a total of 69 projects to be delivered, which will create an additional 350 beds across this sector.The department has also committed to developing a core overarching set of Standards of Care for fostering, children’s homes, and supported accommodation. This will help simplify the regulatory landscape, raise quality, and ensure there are consistent safeguards across different types of settings.The department will develop a programme to support improvements in the quality of leadership and management in children’s homes, including exploring proposals for a leadership programme to attract and train new talent.In addition, the department is investing £10 million to develop Regional Care Co-operatives (RCCs) to plan, commission and deliver children’s social care placements. Through operating on a larger scale and developing specialist capabilities, the RCCs will be able to develop a wider range of places to meet children’s needs better.The department is also making good progress on addressing challenges relating to the retention and recruitment of social workers, which is key to supporting the delivery of the wider children’s social care reforms. This includes introducing an Early Career Framework to better support newly qualified social workers to meet the challenges of child and family social work, increasing the number of social worker apprenticeships, and supporting local authorities with their retention and workload challenges. Alongside ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the department also published a consultation on a set of rules for local authority engagement of agency child and family social workers. The response to this consultation was published on 25 October 2023 and sets out a set of national rules intended to increase workforce quality and sustainability. The department will consult on statutory guidance on the technical detail in Spring 2024. These reforms are in addition to the department’s £50 million annual investment in recruiting, training and developing the workforce.

Social Services: Children

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to increase investment in early intervention and prevention as part of children’s social care reform.

Baroness Barran: The government has invested billions in local services. This year alone, the total social care grant for local government is over £2 billion. In the ‘Stable Homes Built on Love’ Strategy, the department outlined its plans to build on the strengths of current early help and Child in Need services, through the creation of Family Help.The department is investing £200 million in Children’s Social Care reforms, including £45 million for the Families First for Children Pathfinder programme, which will test how multi-disciplinary family help teams can improve the support that children and families receive. The pathfinder will inform the next stage of the department’s reform programme which will look to deliver transformation more widely.The department also announced over £1 billion of funding for programmes to improve early help services, including delivering Family Hubs.

Free School Meals

Baroness Grey-Thompson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to update the Free Schools Meals Guidance to explain how local authorities and schools should provide free school meals to eligible disabled children who, for whatever reason, cannot access them.

Baroness Grey-Thompson: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the charity Contact that a third of eligible disabled childrendonotaccess free school mealsfor reasonsthat may be linkedto their disability, such as being too unwell to attend school or being unable to eat the meals due to dietary or sensory requirements; what steps they are taking in response; and, in particular, whetherthey intend to offer a voucher scheme tosuch children during term time.

Baroness Barran: Schools have a duty to provide nutritious, free meals to pupils that meet the eligibility criteria, including being a registered pupil of a state funded school. Free School Meal (FSM) provision should be made to eligible pupils either on the school premises or at any other place where education is being provided. The department expects schools to act reasonably in ensuring that their food provision accounts for medical, dietary and cultural needs. The department has published statutory guidance (attached), which describes steps a school may take, including the establishment of individual healthcare plans which may include special diets.​Local authorities are funded to support children with special educational needs, including those who are unable to attend school on a long-term basis. The department has published guidance to provide more information, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/illness-child-education. The department continues to keep its guidance under review to ensure that free school meal eligibility supports those who most need them.HL404_HL405_guidance (pdf, 309.9KB)

Languages: Teachers

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government how many teachers of modern foreign languages (MFL) have been recruited by maintained (1) secondary schools, and (2) primary schools, as a result of the inclusion of MFL teachers on the Shortage Occupation List announced on 4 March 2021.

Baroness Barran: The department does not hold data on the number of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) secondary level teachers recruited as a result of the inclusion of MFL on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). Primary level MFL teachers are not included on the SOL.

Ministry of Justice

Family Courts

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to review the evidence arising from the Family Courts transparency pilots at (1) Leeds, (2) Cardiff, and (3) Carlisle.

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to present to Parliament their response to the Family Courts transparency pilots.

Lord Bellamy: The Government supports the President of the Family Division’s ambition to increase transparency in the family courts. The Media Reporting Pilots, led by the President, are running from January 2023 to January 2024 and will be independently evaluated. The Government will carefully consider the findings of the evaluation once complete, and publish an assessment as appropriate.

Family Courts

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for freedom of speech of (1) transparency orders, and (2) privacy injunctions, used in family courts, which may restrict named individuals from discussing the case with third parties including family and media outlets.

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have toreview the use of transparency orders in family courts to prevent proceedings being open to media scrutiny, including (1) those made under the auspices of the Family Courts Transparency Pilots, and (2) those made in other general family court proceedings.

Lord Bellamy: The Government recognises the importance of enabling the media to access family court proceedings to increase transparency in the Family Justice system while at the same time ensuring the privacy of vulnerable children and families going through court are protected.Transparency Orders and privacy injunctions are made by the independent judiciary, taking all relevant factors, including freedom of speech, into consideration.Transparency Orders are used by the court to set the parameters on what may or may not be reported in a particular case without amounting to contempt of court. The template Transparency Order, drafted by the judiciary, is cast in injunctive terms. If a Transparency Order is made in a case, then it is binding on members of the media to whom it applies. The Media Reporting Pilots in the family courts are being independently evaluated before any decisions are made on whether there should be changes to provision on media access to, and disclosure of information from family proceedings.

Criminal Proceedings

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Policy Exchange reportThe Wicked and the Redeemable: A Long-Term Plan to Fix a Criminal Justice System in Crisis, published on 4 November.

Lord Bellamy: We are considering this report with interest. We remain committed to reducing the outstanding crown court caseload and have introduced a raft of measures to allow courts to work at full capacity, including removing the cap on sitting days for the third year running and recruiting up to 1,000 judges across all jurisdictions. We have already delivered 5,600 new prison places as part of our commitment to deliver 20,000 additional, modern prison places to ensure the right conditions are in place to rehabilitate prisoners, cut crime, and protect the public. We are also investing in a range of interventions to tackle the causes of reoffending, including delivering our temporary accommodation service for prison-leavers, offering more offenders work opportunities in prison, and expanding the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living wings.

Prison Sentences

Lord Moylan: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are currently in prison serving animprisonment for public protectionsentence who have been held for 10 years or more beyond their original tariff, broken down by the exact number of years over tariff.

Lord Bellamy: On 16 October 2023, the Lord Chancellor announced he would be looking at options to curtail the licence period to restore greater proportionality to IPP sentences in line with recommendation 8 of the report by the Justice Select Committee (JSC), published on 28 September 2022.These changes are being taken forward in the Victims and Prisoners Bill. The measures will make it quicker and easier to terminate an IPP licence (and therefore the IPP sentence as a whole) whilst balancing public protection considerations.The new measure will:Reduce the qualifying period which triggers the duty of the Secretary of State to refer an IPP licence to the Parole Board for termination from ten years to three years;Include a clear statutory presumption that the IPP licence will be terminated by the Parole Board at the end of the three-year qualifying period;Introduce a provision that will automatically terminate the IPP licence two years after the three-year qualifying period, in cases where the Parole Board has not terminated the licence; andIntroduce a power to amend the qualifying period by Statutory Instrument. The Lord Chancellor was persuaded by the Committee’s recommendation to reduce the qualifying licence period from 10 years to 5 years and is going further: reducing the period to 3 years. These amendments will restore greater proportionality to IPP sentences and provide a clear pathway to a definitive end to the licence and, therefore, the sentence.In addition to these changes, the actions this Government are taking are working; the number of prisoners serving the IPP sentence who have never been released now stands at 1,269 as of September 2023, down from more than 6000 in 2012. Table 1: The tariff-expired Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoner population at least 10 years over tariff, 30 September 2023.Time over tariffCountFrom 10 years to less than 11 years132From 11 years to less than 12 years117From 12 years to less than 13 years128From 13 years to less than 14 years128From 14 years to less than 15 years94From 15 years to less than 16 years62From 16 years to less than 17 years21From 17 years to less than 18 years1From 18 years to less than 19 years1Total684Please note:(1) The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Northern Ireland Office

Euro 2028: Casement Park

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term impact of the redevelopment of Casement Park in preparation for hosting the UEFA Euro 2028 competition on domestic football in Northern Ireland.

Lord Caine: The Northern Ireland Regional Stadia Programme, including the redevelopment of Casement Park, is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Department for Communities.Matters such as the assessment of the long-term impacts of the completion of stadiums in Northern Ireland rests with the Department for Communities and the Regional Stadia Development Programme Board. My department has no role in the Regional Stadium Development Board.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Carbon Emissions and Energy: Finance

Lord Stunell: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the departmental budget for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for the current financial year is allocated to supporting, promoting and delivering (1) energy demand reduction measures, and (2) zero and low carbon energy generation measures; and what changes in the departmental budget and headcount for those tasks are planned for the 2024–25 financial year.

Lord Callanan: The Government published how the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s current year budget has been allocated in the 2023-24 Main Estimate. The Government will publish the equivalent information for the 2024-25 financial year in the forthcoming 2024-25 Main Estimate. Departmental headcount figures are published each year in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Energy: Prices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their recent decision to increase paymentamounts to offshore windfarms by more than 50 per cent, what plans they have to mitigate the impact on consumer energy bills.

Lord Callanan: The publication on 16 November of core parameters, including Administrative Strike Prices (ASPs) for the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) round, does not determine impacts on consumer bills. The ASPs are the maximum prices available for renewable electricity, with the actual price being achieved through a competitive auction process. Renewable electricity procured through the CfD continues to provide value for money for consumers by capping the price paid to generators.

Cabinet Office

Older People

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the number of (1) over 65 year olds, and (2) over 80 year olds, in each year since 1945.

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the number of (1) over 65 year olds, and (2) over 80 year olds, living in Cornwall in each year since 1945.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. The Lord Taylor of Goss MoorHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW28 November 2023Dear Lord Taylor, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking about the number of (1) over 65-year-olds (HL437), and (2) over 80-year-olds in each year since 1945 for both the UK as a whole and those living in Cornwall (HL438). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing population estimates for the United Kingdom. The attached Excel file provides estimates for the United Kingdom from 1953 to 2021 and for England and Wales from 1945 to 2022. United Kingdom age group estimates are not available from before 1953. Estimates for the United Kingdom for 2022 are not yet available due to synchronisation issues caused by the latest census being held in 2021 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and in 2022 in Scotland. The file also contains estimates for Cornwall from 1971 to 2022. Age group estimates prior to 1991 are not available for Cornwall as local authority reorganisation in the early 1970s prevents comparisons prior to 1971. When accessing any of our files please read the 'notes, terms and conditions' contained within them. Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond UK Statistics Authority  (pdf, 109.6KB)Dataset (xlsx, 21.9KB)

Childbirth

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany babies were born in England each year since 1945.

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government how many babies were registered in Cornwall in each year since 1945.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. Lord Taylor of Goss MoorHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 27 November 2023 Dear Lord Taylor, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking a) how many babies were born in England each year since 1945 (HL435) and b) how many babies were registered in Cornwall in each year since 1945 (HL436). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics on births registered in England. Birth statistics are based on year of registration, rather than date of birth. Table 1 of the attached dataset provides numbers of live births registered in England from 1945 to 2022, and stillbirths registered from 1981 to 2023. Data on stillbirths registered in England prior to 1981 are not available. Table 2 of the attached dataset provides numbers of live births and stillbirths registered in Cornwall from 1981 to 2022. Figures for Cornwall are based on the mother’s usual residence. Data on the mother’s usual residence prior to 1981 is not available. Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond UK Statistics Authority  (pdf, 105.0KB)Dataset (xlsx, 21.3KB)